The Five Driven to Pursue the Future: Side Stories
by cypsiman2
Summary: A companion piece to my main 5D's story, Yugioh 5Ds: The Five Driven to Pursue the Future, this will be a collection of side stories mostly covering Yusei, Rua, and Ruka.
1. Chapter 1

**Dreams are Private, Dreams are Shared.**

"Ruka? Are you still up?" Rua quietly knocked on the door to his sister's room, making sure that Yusei didn't overhear him; what he had to ask Ruka was going to be really embarrassing. Rua then heard the shuffling of sheets, soft footsteps on carpeting, and then the door opened.

"What is it Rua?" Ruka said as she rubbed her eye.

"Can I come in for just a second?" Ruka nodded and let Rua in. He closed the door behind them. "This morning, you said that you'd been watching Yusei's dreams?"

"Yes; I know I shouldn't have, but…"

"It's okay." He understood; apparently Yusei dreamed a lot about his mother, so it was no wonder that Ruka wanted to watch those dreams. "I just wanted to ask if, uh, if…"

"If?" Gah, this was so hard to get out.

"If you'd been watching any of my dreams?" When Ruka had first mentioned watching Yusei's dreams, Rua's first concern had been whether Ruka had been watching any of his dreams; then a lot of other stuff, mostly him getting very stupid and making Ruka mad at him, happened, so that worry got shoved away to the side; now that Rua was about to go to bed, to dreamland, that worry resumed being front and center in his mind.

"Your dreams? Rua, I'd never watch your dreams, you're my brother."

"Really?" Ruka nodded. "Oh, what a relief." Rua said with an exaggerated sigh.

Suddenly Ruka's eyes narrowed. "Have you been dreaming about bad stuff?"

"Eh?" Oh crap, this was not good. "No, not at all, honest." At least, Rua didn't think of it as bad stuff; just not stuff that he could or would ever share with his twin sister.

Then Ruka smiled oddly. "Maybe I should see for myself…"

"No, that's okay, you don't have to; besides, my dreams are pretty boring, they'd probably put you right to sleep…" Rua's voice drifted away when he saw Ruka covering her mouth and snickering.

"Sorry Rua, I couldn't help it; you looked so relieved, I couldn't help teasing you about it."

"It's not funny." Rua said with a huff; Ruka could be so mean sometimes!

"You're right, I'm sorry." Then Ruka suddenly looked away, like she was listening to someone who wasn't there. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

"Uh, what's a good idea?" Ruka turned back to him.

"Rua, could you give me your Power Tool Dragon for just a little bit?"

"Sure thing." Rua took the card out from his deck and handed it over. Ruka held it in her hands against her chest and closed her eyes. Rua watched, wondering just what Ruka was doing with his card.

"Okay, here you go Rua." Ruka opened her eyes and held his card out for him. Rua took the card back and felt…he felt warm all throughout his body right down to his toes. Someone was running their hand over his head and humming a song he'd never heard before; he was being held firmly yet gently, rocked back and forth until his eyes started to droop.

Then it stopped. "Ruka…" She reached out and wiped a tear from his cheek. "Was, was that really…?"

Ruka nodded. "That was Yusei's dream. That's what it feels like to have a mom."

"Wow." Rua had no idea…how could he have? How could he have imagined someone loving him like that? Sure, he'd seen other kids out with their parents, their mothers, but seeing it from the outside was a poor substitute for the real thing. "Thank you Ruka."

"You're welcome Rua." She then looked past him through the door. He looked there too. "I hope Yusei's gets to see his Mom again someday."

"I'm sure he will." That feeling from Yusei's dream, his mom definitely didn't want to give him up. Then Ruka yawned. "Good night Ruka."

"Night." Rua left her room and closed the door behind him. He made his way back to his room, still quiet, and crawled right into his bed. He fell asleep right away, eager to dream.


	2. Chapter 2

**In Uncertain Hands**

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**Author's Notes:** This story takes place during chapter 15, during the time when Rua ran away.

* * *

It had been hours since Rua had run off; Ruka had begged him to let her go look for her brother and cried while Yusei held her, and eventually she fell asleep, her heard resting on his lap. As Yusei watched over her, he thought about what she'd told him earlier that day.

"It's a feeling more than anything, like you were wrapped up in layers of wool blankets, held tight and safe in her arms, and just when you're about to wake up, it's like she, she's giving you to someone, even though she doesn't want to."

That was how she'd described the dreams he'd been having, the ones about his mother; he hadn't realized that that was what they were about, he never saw them clearly enough to understand what was happening in them. If Ruka's account of his dream was to be believed, his mother had chosen Martha to take care of him; Yusei had known from a young age that Martha was not his biological mother, but the care she'd given him, the books she'd provided for him to read and the trips to the abandoned gym to properly exercise in, he'd never doubted that she loved him and all the other orphans under her care as though they were her children. The wealth and luxury that Rua and Ruka lived in exceeded anything that even the wealthiest citizen of the Satellite could hope to achieve, yet the young girl nuzzling her head against him was so desperate for a mother's love that she'd looked into his dreams.

It made Yusei wonder what had happened to her and Rua's parents; in the time that he'd been in their apartment no visitors had come save for the Security officers who'd dragged him away and returned him once they were done with him, nor were there any pictures. Rua's room was full of pictures of Jack Atlas and other merchandise, while Ruka had drawings of things she'd seen in her dreams and lots of story books. Most curious of all though was that aside from the twins' bedrooms there was only the guest room he was staying in, barebones and just enough room for him; from what he'd gathered Rua and Ruka had lived in this apartment their entire lives, so in all likelihood they'd never known their parents.

"When she duels, it's, well, it's like she gets possessed or something, and her arm starts glowing, and when it stops, that's when she passes out…Um, well, it's like this great big birthmark thing appears on her arm, and it's all glowy and stuff, and it's shaped like a claw."

That was what Rua had told him, and while he'd not yet seen it for himself, he was certain that Ruka was like him, a Signer; if this were the case, then Rex Godwin definitely knew, and the implications that carried for their parents were unsettling, given that Rex had threatened to reveal to everyone the role his parents had played in bringing about Zero Reverse if he did not do as told. When he'd set out to Neo Domino City, Yusei had only thought about confronting Jack; now he found himself with these children as the pieces of a game he could hardly see.

"No matter what happens," Yusei said as he looked down at his hands, hands with which he'd failed to rescue Rally, "I will protect you both."


	3. Chapter 3

**A Fresh Change**

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**Author's Notes:** This takes place between chapter 8 and chapter 9 of the main story.

* * *

"Can I help you young man?" Rua looked up at the clerk standing over him; she was a middle aged, heavyset woman with puffy cheeks and a big smile on her face.

"Uh, no thank you Mrs. Kinoshita." Rua said as he quickly read off her nametag. "I know exactly what I'm looking for." Rua took out the note from his pocket with the sizes on Yusei's pants and underwear, while Ruka had the note for Yusei's shirts and socks; when Yusei woke up in the morning wearing the same clothes he'd been wearing the night before, he and Ruka realized that Yusei was going to need new clothes, fast.

"All right then, but if you need any help shopping for your uncle, just let me know." Mrs. Kinoshita then pinched his cheek and walked away; Rua frowned as he rubbed at the now sore spot on his face, and it didn't help when he caught sight of Ruka giggling at him.

"Can't wait for my cheeks to stop being so pinchable…" Rua looked through the jeans on the hangers, grabbing the ones that looked like they would fit Yusei; he probably never had to deal with old ladies grabbing at his cheeks and telling him how precious he was and what a big boy he was for getting the groceries all by himself…and then Rua stopped. "What's the matter with me?" He was here because Yusei couldn't shop for his own clothes thanks to the Criminal Marker on his cheek, and he did all the grocery shopping and stuff to make sure that nothing happened to Ruka; if the biggest problem he had to deal with was getting his cheeks pinched…

"Rua, you in there?" Rua shook a bit; when did Ruka sneak up on him? "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

"Really? About what?"

Ruka looked a bit awkward standing there with all those shirts and socks in her arms, so Rua resumed gathering clothes. "Just, thinking about Yusei and what a hard time he must have had growing up." Rua looked around; he couldn't see anyone listening in on them, but he was still careful not to mention anything about the Satellite. "We're really lucky we grew up in the Tops, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we are…" Ruka's voice drifted off and something clenched inside of Rua.

"Hey, tell you what." Rua put a smile on his face and patted Ruka on the shoulder with his free hand. "After we get these, how about we find a swimsuit for Yusei so he can use our pool?"

"Yeah, that does sound good." She was smiling too now, and the clenching feeling was gone.

* * *

"Hey Yusei, check this out!" Rua jumped and tucked himself into a ball as he hit the water, creating a sizeable splash. Rua stayed near the bottom of the pool for a few seconds and then shot up, shaking his head once he'd broken the surface of the water. "Pretty impressive, right?"

"Do you have to be such a show-off all the time?" Ruka said as she slowly swam by with a board to keep her afloat; she was just jealous.

"You're both doing just fine." Yusei then kicked off the side of the pool and swam to the other end in what had to have been a matter of seconds, and during that time he had such a stern, focused look on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

**As Seen through a Child's Eyes**

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**Author's Notes:** This takes place between chapters 12 and 13 of the main story.

* * *

"Yeah, you show that punk Jack!" Ruka heard Rua shouting from the living room and through her door, causing her hand to jerk and thus ruining her drawing of Kuribon riding on top of Sunlight Unicorn's head.

"Rua!" Ruka opened the door and saw her brother standing on the couch and pointing at the TV; Jack was on it, riding his D-Wheel with his Red Demon's Dragon flying overhead, and while Ruka could usually feel the power and aggression that Jack had infused the Red Demon's Dragon with, she didn't sense it this time. "Could you keep it down, and not stand on the couch while you're at it?" Her brother looked blankly at her, then down at his feet.

"Whoops." Rua laughed sheepishly as he sat down like a normal person. "But you can't blame me for being excited, I mean, look!" He jabbed out with his finger at the TV; Red Demon's Dragon had just destroyed his opponent's defenses with its effect, and now Jack activated Lineage of Destruction to attack directly. "Jack kept that guy on the ropes for four turns, four whole turns! Don't you think that's amazing Ruka, he could have finished it in an instant if he'd felt like it but he drew it out just the right amount of time to get the crowd real fired up! Oh man, if only I could duel like that, that would be something."

"Well, you manage to fire yourself up pretty good, I suppose that's a step in the right direction." Ruka said with a note of amusement and took another look at the duel. "Wait…this is a recording, isn't it Rua?" That was why she wasn't getting any feeling from Jack's dragon.

"Well yeah, you know I record all of the King's duels."

"But wasn't he supposed to be having a duel right now?" Rua had kept going on about it the night before and how he hoped Yusei would watch with him; Yusei declined politely, but declined all the same.

"He was, but…well, Jack, he finished it in an instant."

"He did?" Ruka and her brother turned to Yusei who had just come in from the pool; when he wasn't reading or going over his deck, he was swimming. He had a towel wrapped around his head, as it took a while for his hair to dry off. "Rua, did you record that duel?"

"Of course Yusei." Rua picked up the remote and brought the recording up and let it play out. It only took three minutes from start to finish.

"The way he rode his D-Wheel…" Ruka heard Yusei mutter, and she wondered what he saw; she herself never paid much attention to the riding part of the riding duels, which was just another way she and her brother differed from one another.

"Uh…yeah, that's right! Yusei, you came here to the city in a D-Wheel, right; one that you'd made with your own hands, right?"

"Yes, I did. It's currently being held by Security."

"I bet it's a really fast one, to get past Security and make it to Jack in the first place."

"That was one of my foremost concerns when putting it together." Yusei took the seat next to Rua and Ruka watched as her brother grilled Yusei on all the technical details about his D-Wheel, color and shape, what sort of engine he used, everything. Ruka sat and watched, and in her mind's eye she saw Rua riding with Jack, and she was riding on Sunlight Unicorn. Now she was glad that Rua had interrupted her drawing, but she wasn't going to tell him that.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Curious Case of the Clown?**

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**Author's Notes:** This one takes place just before the start of chapter 15.

* * *

"But Mr. Jaeger," A blonde reporter said, "there are eyewitnesses who claim to have seen Mikage Sagiri, Jack's assistant, leaving his mansion with a grim expression on her face; surely I don't need to point out how unusual this is."

"A grim expression?" Jaeger smirked. "And tell me, just what is a grim expression, and what separates such a thing from a stern expression, a serious expression, a focused expression, a determined expression, and do I need to go on?" As Jaeger named each expression, he shifted his face into that expression, eliciting laughs from the crowd and causing the reporter to shrink down back into her seat. "As we can see, something as subjective as an expression is hardly the basis for any sort of groundless rumor."

"But," Another reporter stood up, one with black hair and thick glasses, "the fact is that she was seen leaving the mansion just before Jack's…promotional event."

"Since we are dealing with an objective question this time, I can give a more objective response; it so happens that Mikage's mother has fallen ill and Jack insisted that she take time off to be with her in her time of need. Naturally, in deference to their privacy, we will not be releasing the name of the facility where Mikage's mother is being treated."

"I see." The black haired reporter sat down. Yusei found himself increasingly wary of Jaeger; the man was highly intelligent, able to anticipate and direct the course of events to what he desired and he possessed the resources to do so.

"Hey, it's Mr. Jaeger." Yusei looked up and saw Rua standing behind him, stretching and yawning in accordance with how early in the morning it was.

Yusei muted the TV. "How do you know Jaeger?"

"Eh?" Rua blinked a couple times as he looked around himself. "He comes by every so often to check up on me and Ruka, asks questions about Ruka and stuff like that. Though, come to think of it, he hasn't come by lately."

"I see." Yusei had been wondering at the absence of visitors for the twins, and now he had another piece of the puzzle. "Is Ruka up yet?" Yusei said as he stood up.

"No, she's still sleeping in." Rua then ran up to him and started tugging on his arm. "Hey Yusei, do you suppose we could get a duel in before Ruka got up? I just thought of a killer new strategy that I'm sure can work this time."

Yusei couldn't help the smile on his face. "Let's get something to eat first, and then we can duel all you like."


	6. Chapter 6

**The Giving of a Gift**

* * *

**Author's Note:** This story takes place one year before chapter 31.

* * *

Honestly, the way Jack Atlas was acting Mikage Sagiri almost believed his forged history of being a pampered rich kid was the real deal. "Mikage!" He yelled from the counter of the bar. "Explain…explain to this man that I…the King is not done drinking yet!" Jack punctuated his demand by slamming his fist on the counter.

"Allow me." Mikage stepped forward, rubbing her temples with thumb and forefinger. "Listen, just give him water with a small additive, in his state he won't know the difference." She whispered into the bartender's ear, not that she needed to; Jack had already moved on to chatting up his female admirers.

"That's right, when I was only six years old, my parents got me a practice D-Wheel, they knew I was special from the moment of my birth!" Jack leaned back in his seat, and Mikage discretely stuck her leg out to keep him from losing his balance.

"Fourteen Jack, you were fourteen when you got your practice D-Wheel." Even in his state, Mikage had to remind him of the story that he had to adhere to for the good of the city. Before Jack could respond, someone took hold of his face.

"We don't care when you started being the King Jack, we know you're the one and only and that's all that matters." As the woman continued to trace her fingers across Jack's cheek, others started caressing Jack's head, his body, everywhere.

"HEY!" The voice from another drunk. "That's enough!" The voice was getting closer, and when Mikage looked at the source she saw that the drunk was not alone. "I don't care you're the king, you're not stealing our women!"

Mikage felt her headache grow more intense; between possessive men acting like women were objects, and women intent on deceiving Jack for their own pleasure…

"Hey, can I help it that I'm far more interesting than you?" Jack said, turning around in his seat and tipping forward in the process. "Or maybe they can just tell that I'm far more man than you'll ever be?" Jack grinned, then tipped back.

"I've had it!" The lead man yelled, and he pulled back to punch, giving Mikage ample time to grab his arm and redirect him to an empty space in the bar, ass over teakettle.

"You can't take all of us!" The others yelled, and Mikage proved them wrong; granted, she was aided by their drunkenness, but there were dicey moments, including one where one of them actually managed to bruise her arm before she could regain control.

Naturally she removed Jack from the bar in the aftermath and drove him back to his mansion. She guided him to his bed and left him on top, having no intention of tucking him in like she was his mother; she had her responsibilities, but she also had her limits.

When she got up that morning, she found Jack in the living room, studying the news report on what had happened at the bar. "You never missed a beat." He said without looking at her.

"That's why I was chosen to be your assistant Jack." She was about to turn and head into the kitchen…

"Mikage." She turned, and caught the card he'd thrown to her between her fingers. "It reflects you." He then returned to watching the TV, and Mikage looked down at the card.

"Trust Guardian." She paused, then put it in her coat pocket.


	7. Chapter 7

**Please Teach Me, Professor Divine!**

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**Author's Note****:** This takes place between chapters 30 and 32 of the main story.

* * *

"Aki, Akira, I want to give a warm welcome to your new fellow disciple, Rua." Divine said as he ushered in the young boy.

"Lord Divine?" Akira spoke up. "Are you…I mean…he is just a kid…" Confidence struggling against deference, Divine smiled at this.

"Akira, remember, our powers are beyond what any human body is normally capable of; size and age have no correlation to the talent that lies beneath the surface."

"Yes, you're right Lord Divine." Akira bowed in apology.

Divine then turned to Aki. "You haven't said anything yet; didn't you tell me that you thought Rua was but an ordinary child with no special power?"

Aki took a deep breath before responding. "That is what I thought, but since you believe otherwise, I was clearly mistaken. Please, forgive me for not realizing his potential and bringing him her all the sooner."

"It is no matter Aki, everything is working out quite well." Divine then looked down at Rua. "Tell us Rua, did you mind having to wait so long before you could come to us?"

"Well, truth be told, I would have liked to have gotten here with Aki a lot sooner, but I'm just so excited that I'm here now."

"There, you see?" Divine smiled, took Aki's cheek in his hand. "The ideal is desirable, but so long as progress is made, there is no problem."

"Of course, Lord Divine." Aki bowed in apology.

"Now then, Rua, I want you to stand 4 meters away from Aki and Akira, and I want you in a solid, rooted stance, do you understand me?"

"Sure do." Rua moved to the indicated position and assumed an aggressive pose that would be hard to displace.

"Now then, Akira, I want you to use your power on this card." Divine put the card in Akira's hand.

"All right." He focused his will, and Crimson Ninja took form. Already he was panting, sweating.

"As you can see Rua, our power allows us to materialize a card even without a medium, but this takes a considerable strain on us. Furthermore…" He turned to address Akira. "Attack Rua."

"If you're ready, Rua."

"You know I am." Rua braced himself, and winced as Crimson Ninja's swords clanged against his flesh, creating what amounted to paper cuts.

"Failure to use a card properly in tune with one's own soul results in a greater drain and a weaker effect. You may end the summon, Akira."

"Thank you, Lord Divine." Akira fell down panting, gripping his heart.

"Now, Aki…" She looked away from Divine. "Aki?"

"…Rua hasn't done anything, he is not a target for my revenge."

Divine put his hands on Aki's shoulders. "Listen to me Aki; we need to do this so that Rua can understand how to unleash his own power reliably. I will be right here, to make sure that nothing goes out of control, to make sure that Rua doesn't suffer any pain he can't handle. Please, Aki."

Aki nodded silently, and so Divine stepped back. Aki took her card from her deck and put it on her Duel Disc, and so appeared Evil Thorn. "I'll go easy as I can, Rua."

"Hey, I'm tough Aki, I'll take whatever you dish out." Despite his words, Rua's posture was more cautious, and despite the lower attack power, Evil Thorn inflicted much greater suffering than Crimson Ninja had, causing Rua to drop down onto his hands and knees.

"You see it for yourself now Rua, the difference everything makes; the duelist, the choice of card, the use of proper equipment, everything comes together to realize the power that lies within you."

Rua winced as he got up, only to fall back down again. Aki and Akira both rushed forward, but Divine put his hand out to stop them. "I'll do it guys, don't worry…Godwin's going to try way harder to stop us, so if I can't take this, I won't be of any use to anyone."

"Exactly Rua." Divine said as he watched Rua get back to his feet, and stayed on them. "Our enemy will do anything to stop us, to maintain his tyranny over this city, and so we must be strong, united, we must all have it in us to do what we must to realize our freedom."

"We won't disappoint you, Divine." Aki said, her hand on Rua's shoulder.

"Same here, Lord Divine, I won't let you down." Akira had his hand on Rua's other shoulder.

"And I'll be the one to strike the decisive blow against Godwin, I promise you." Rua said with his fist clenched tight.

"That's very good everyone. Now, let us continue today's lesson."


	8. Chapter 8

**Confiding in Another's Heart**

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**Author's Note: **This story takes the night before the events of chapter 33.

* * *

Yusei had just tucked Ruka into bed after going over their decks together one last time when he saw Setsuko Izayoi sitting on the couch in the living room. "Has something come up?" He said after he came down the stairs.

"Not really, no." She didn't look up at him, her eyes remained down at her hands; as Yusei walked around the couch, he saw that she was holding a locket.

"Do you mind?" He motioned at the cushion next to her.

"Not at all." She patted the cushion. "I'm asking so much of you and that girl, and your friend, I am in no position to refuse something so trivial."

Yusei didn't respond, he just took his seat, looked down at the locket; it had a white-gold frame, and a picture of a family, a girl who couldn't have been older than 8 on the shoulders of her parents. "Aki."

"Yes." A tear splashed down on the locket, and when Yusei looked up at Setsuko's face her cheeks were wet. "I don't suppose mothers in the satellite cry like this over their children, do they?"

"Martha tried to hide it." Setsuko looked at Yusei head-on while he looked out from the couch. "I remember when I was nine years old, she asked me and Jack to go run an errand for her, it wasn't far, but I suppose we got back sooner than she expected, or maybe she didn't send us out long enough. We asked if something was wrong, if someone had threatened her. She told us that she'd just been remembering how things used to be, before Zero Reverse."

"Before Zero Reverse…" Setsuko sighed.

"We couldn't say it at the time, it was too big for us then, but Jack and I wanted to change things for Martha, change the Satellite to the way she remembered it. I think that's why we formed Team Satisfaction with Kiryu."

"…You've never said how you felt about the truth of what happened to him."

"…The details were unimportant; the Kiryu I knew had died well before your husband got his hands on him."

"I see." Setsuko traced her thumb across the photo in the locket. "I still wonder to this day, how much of the man that I once loved was still there when he died, when Aki…" Another tear dropped down as Setsuko sniffed.

"The Aki you knew is still in there; I wasn't able to reach her, but in our duel I saw her, I felt her pain. Next time, we will reach her, show her that she can change herself, that she can let go off her suffering."

"Thank you Yusei." She closed the locket, put it away in her coat pocket, stood up. "I have to admit, I was worried that I was dragging you into my selfish desires, guilting you into helping my daughter who has only hurt you and yours."

Yusei stood up. "For a long time I'd given up on myself, allowed my past to crush my desire out of me." Yusei looked up to Ruka's room. "Aki deserves a second chance, same as me, same as all of us."


	9. Chapter 9

**I Have a Favor to Ask of You…**

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**Author's Note:** This story takes place roughly six years before the start of the main story, and references both chapter 28 and 35.

* * *

"Excuse me, Director Godwin?" Rex was at a gala event celebrating the tenth anniversary of Neo-Domino City's founding, after two long years of struggle and sacrifice, when a young man with red hair in plume over one eye spoke to him. "My name is Divine, and I would like to speak to you about a request I have."

Rex looked the man over; he did not recognize him, and the name was an obvious fake, a self-chosen appellation meant to conceal the truth about himself. "I'm afraid that you will have to file for an appointment like everyone else."

"Forgive me, Director Godwin, but I've tried that many times now and they seem to keep losing my application, that's why I wanted to speak with you directly." Then an odd smile came over Divine's face. "Perhaps you've been too busy gold-plating your poodles?"

Godwin managed to limit the shock to his eyes as they widened just enough for Divine to pick up on. "What a strange joke to make."

"You're right, and I've never been one to tell jokes myself, it just…popped into my head." Then a familiar serious expression formed on Divine's face. "Maybe now is not a good time after all, surely you have an employee who's experiencing family difficulties and you need to help them to maintain productivity?"

At this point many of the other guests at the gala were staring at Godwin and Divine. "We will continue this conversation in private."

"Of course; I'm sure Rudger would approve." He whispered the last, no one else heard it. Godwin and Divine found a private room, locked the doors behind them.

"Who are you?" Rex flexed the mechanical fingers of his artificial arm.

"I am Divine, the leading expert on Psychic Duelists, and much of my expertise comes from personal experience."

"I see." Rex frowned. "I was of the impression that you could only materialize the effects of cards."

"That is true for most others, but my power is more subtle than most; the cards still help of course." Divine then pulled a card from his sleeve, The Eye of Truth. "You are a very well-guarded man, both physically and mentally; it took me over a year to position myself where I'd be able to bypass those defenses and discover your secrets. I'm glad I did though, your secrets are far more dangerous than any others I've gathered."

"You have of course taken measures to make sure that in the event of your death, this information would be released."

"Exactly; the deadman's switch is connected to the beating of my heart. Even if you kill me quick, clean, and discretely, everyone will learn the truth of Zero Reverse, and your Utopia will be nothing but a failed dream."

"I imagine you have something you want more than just destroying the city."

"Of course; I am no madman, I am as dependent on this city functioning as intended as anyone else is." There was something about that smile, a private joke that would not be shared, only taunted at. "There is a young girl, Aki Izayoi, a Psychic Duelist of uncommon power whose parents have been working tirelessly to help. I want you to recommend my services to them."

"…There's more."

"For now, this is all I need." Divine bowed, exposing the back of his neck, absolutely unafraid.


	10. Chapter 10

**A Life in One's Hands**

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**Author's Notes:** This chapter takes place roughly two years before the start of the main story and is referred to near the end of chapter 34.

* * *

"Another day, another life to be protected." That's what Mikage Sagiri said as she stood before her mirror, flexing her well-toned arms and admiring her six-pack abs; most people never saw the musculature that she'd developed through years of schoolyard scraps on behalf of those who couldn't defend themselves and martial arts training under the best masters her parents could afford, and so most people were caught off guard whenever she grabbed someone twice or even three times her size and slammed them into the ground. This hidden strength of hers was why Mikage had been recommended to protect Senator Hyuga, who'd been targeted with death threats over legislation he'd proposed. Mikage didn't take much notice of the details; that the man was being targeted like this was proof enough in her mind that his legislation had to go through.

They were in Senator Hyuga's pavilion when it happened. "Get down!" She shouted, not giving Senator Hyuga a choice in the matter as she pushed him to the ground, low enough that when the bullet was fired it passed over both their bodies. "Stay down!" She scanned the surroundings, and saw the black gleam of a gun-barrel just behind a thick laurel hedge. Remembering the layout, she ran to where the gunman would have to escape to and swept out her leg, striking his shins and disrupting his balance, bringing him down. "I don't know how you got in, but you won't get out the same way!" The gunman recovered, spun around on the ground and flipped forward, intending on bringing his legs down onto Mikage's shoulders. She jumped back, and the man pressed his attack with conservative punches that denied her the opportunity to grab his arms. He was good, the threat was real, but so long as she had someone to defend, Mikage would not lose.

She'd gambled, exposed her mid-section so he'd be drawn to strike there. The blow connected, and while it did hurt, the man was stunned by how much harder it was then he'd expected. Mikage moved inside his reach and flipped him over onto his back, then turned him onto his stomach before the pain wore off and twisted his arms together; he could not break the grip without breaking his arms in the process. "Senator Hyuga, I've got him! You can stand up now!"

"Yes, indeed." Senator Hyuga said as he rose back up. Then they heard a gunshot come from inside Senator Hyuga's mansion. "Hanabi!" He shouted, and a moment later a rictus of terror overcame his face. Mikage broke the gunman's arm, to ensure that he couldn't attack again, and ran into the mansion, kicking the door down.

"You!" Mikage glared at the woman who'd just gunned down the senator's wife. Before she could even draw a bead on her, Mikage disarmed her and slammed her head into the wall, knocking her unconscious.

She'd attended the funeral, and gaped in horror as Senator Hyuga used the opportunity to praise Mikage's strength, proclaimed her valor in the defense of him and his legislation, the broadcast making it impossible for anyone to vote against his proposed bill. Mikage contemplated the possibility that all had been staged, that she'd been part of a planned maneuver to kill Hanabi Hyuga, but looking into it showed no evidence and plenty of alibis; no, it was just opportunism, plain and simple.

"This is Neo-Domino City." She said to herself in her apartment, curled up in the fetal position. "So long as ideals survive, people are expendable." She heard the phone ring, she didn't answer. It rang again, she didn't answer.

Then the door opened. "Mikage Sagiri." She recognized Vice Director Jaeger's distinct voice, and so she stood up. "Clean yourself up; you've been assigned to be the new King of Riding Duels' personal assistant and bodyguard."

"Clean myself up…" She looked at the window, saw her reflection, the sunken look in her eyes, how her cheeks had hollowed out.

"You will be given three days to prepare yourself for his arrival; he is a denizen of the Satellite, so you will have to teach him how Neo-Domino City works."

"Yes…" Mikage did as told, but it wasn't until she'd actually met Jack Atlas, saw the way he looked at the city, saw the D-Wheel he would use in his riding duels, that she truly wanted to protect him from everything that the city could bring to bear against him.


End file.
